Playback devices in video distribution systems, such as set-top boxes, televisions, and personal computers, often report the viewing activities of those devices. This reported activity data, or viewership information, may indicate what media content, advertising content, or television network was being displayed on a given video playback device at a particular time. The viewership information can be used for a variety of purposes, but is often used by networks and other content providers to set rates for show advertisers.
Viewership information typically identifies the playback device at which the viewing activity was observed, the household in which the viewing activity was observed, or some other identifier associated with a collection of aggregated viewing activities (e.g., viewing activities of a neighborhood). The viewership information, however, often fails to identify any particular viewer associated with the viewing activity. That is, the viewership information reflects the combined viewing activities of multiple viewers, rather than the viewing activity of any individual. For example, if multiple people live in a household, the viewership information associated with an individual set-top box or household will generally capture the viewing habits of the multiple viewers who use the set-top box or live in the household, without identifying which of the set-top box users or household members were viewing content at a particular time. As a result, networks and content providers are forced to set advertising rates based on incomplete data, without knowing the individual viewing habits within a household. If, however, they had information regarding which individuals were viewing which content, they could more effectively set advertising rates (such as, for example, increasing the advertising rate for media content popular with individuals associated with a target demographic). It would therefore be beneficial to facilitate a per-person assignment of individual viewers to reported viewership information.